David Blanton-Van der Leeuw Part 1: The Unity of Dance and Religion

In pages 14-15, Van der Leeuw introduces the notion that dancing and activities surrounding dancing are "discovered:"

"Alongside a river in Australian New Guinea an old man sits and stares into the water. A tree trunk drifts past: at certain intervals it rises to the surface and then sinks again, always with the same motion. The old man reaches for his drum and softly takes up the rhythm that he has discovered. While he beats the drum, the image of a dance takes form in his mind. So the Orokaiva-Papuas express the process among themselves. The rhythm must be discovered; then the dance arises, which imposes it on the environment, thereby drawing the environment into the movement as well."

This sort of experience is foreign to most of us today. Few take dancing seriously any more (though on this campus there is a small Ballroom dancing club who does just that). Yet, even those who do take dancing seriously see it as more of a recital of pre-existing forms than anything else. For others though, dancing is viewed as a fearful endeavor, either because of lack of experience dancing, or a general uncomfortableness with the activity. Yet this position is advantageous in the world of dancing according to this Orokaiva-Papuas account. The dance requires an element of discovery, a level of apprehension about what will happen next.

I have a good friend who is notorious for dancing in just this sort of way. Everytime he goes on the dance floor he has a different experience. Unashamed he conforms his body to the rhythm of the music in a way that most people would not dare to move. Yet, he has such a freedom, such a release in the action that one can't help but feel inspired to give themselves so willingly to the music. After asking him about it once, he described to me several legitmate spiritual experiences he has had while dancing. He described a profound sense of joy and freedom and felt a connection to God amidst all that was going on as he gave himself more and more to dancing and moving, rather that conforming to pre-existing body movements. He discovered the dance not through movements, but through complete abandon to the rhythm.